Tag: Holidays

Dogs have opinions about the holidays.

You may be wondering why a dog has an opinion about such things. Well, I’ll tell you. Dogs are smart. Dogs see happiness and they see sadness. They see kindness and they see hostility. Dogs see pain and grief and they see and they see joy. There are even some dogs who watch TV and see what is happening all over the world.

Guess what? Not only do dogs see these things but they feel them too. Dogs have are very tuned into the people they love and what happens to them. That’s why I have an opinion and that’s why it’s important that I share it with you. There are somethings that are disrupting this holiday season and I know how to fix some of them. My solution centers on kindness and the Golden Rule.

Because everyone is different, everyone values different things. That’s why life will get better when each one of us becomes more understanding, more sympathetic, more concerned and more loving. Miracles can begin with the efforts and actions of all of us.

There is world unrest and national unrest and it’s time to change that… one person, one family, one school, and one nation at a time. It’s time to be good and do good. So as difficult as it may be, we must begin to see things differently so that the future will be all that we want it to be.

Because of that, race, religion, physical ability, political view, color of skin, amount of wealth or lack of wealth, ethnicity or any other difference should be accepted as forms of diversity. Guess what? Diversity is powerful and diversity is everywhere! We need to embrace our own diversity and the diversity of others.

Dogs Have Opinions

So now back to my solution. The way I see it, The Golden Rule is a simple one. Just treat everyone the way you want to be treated.

The Dalai Lama said it best!

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion… Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people’s suffering. On these lines, every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal.”

(The Golden Rule or ethic of reciprocity is a moral maxim or principle of altruism found in nearly every human culture and religion, suggesting it is related to a fundamental human nature.)

I want to tell you parents something about children’s holiday needs because I really get kids. I am pretty much a kid myself, as a lot of you know.

If your kids are facing the holidays without a “whole” family you have to try to understand the sadness and worries that they have.

Sometimes a family isn’t “whole” because someone has passed. Sometimes the reason can be that a parent is away from home for the holidays or sometimes it can be because of a divorce. You need to understand that the first time without a “whole” family is the hardest but even after that it is still hard.

Children’s Holiday Needs

There are a few things that you can to help your children’s holiday needs do so that things will go better. A good start is to ask them to share their concerns and as they do, really listen. Listen to what they say and pay attention to what they don’t say too!

Kids often hold back from sharing their feelings because they don’t want to add more sadness to the situation. It helps so much to have a parent or parents who let kids know that their children’s holiday needs and what they are feeling is okay and in fact expected and very normal. When parents listen and are understanding, kids feel better. That’s the truth!

It’s okay if you are sad about your “damaged” family situation but please for the sake of your kids, don’t be selfish about it. Think of children’s holiday needs this Christmas Season. They need your help. It’s a great idea to try to make new traditions that will help you and your kids feel better about the different family situation. Let’s say that you always celebrated in a certain way, try to think of a new and different way to celebrate. Maybe inviting other people to celebrate with you could help everyone feel better..

Another really good thing to do is try to involve your kids in the decisions about what you will do as a family to celebrate the holidays. It’s always a good idea for kids to be able to have their friends with them so put out an invitation or say the door is open for all of their friends to visit or celebrate with your family.

If you have any questions just ask. I have a lot of parents and kids who have helped me to be aware of new and different ways to celebrate.

I need to talk to you about bullies. Hopefully you are listening. I know how busy you are.

Will you please teach bullies that being kind can make you feel good too? Will you help bullies understand that they can be just as happy if they don’t laugh at me or call me names?

I know I’m just a kid but I know about these things. Well, I’m sure you already know all about me. You know how sad I am. You know how alone I am. And you know how afraid I am.

Maybe you could visit the bullies when they have their Thanksgiving dinners and somehow teach them that Thanksgiving should be about being thankful and helping people who are alone.

I never tried to be mean to anyone because that just isn’t right. You and my mom taught me that. They don’t even have to say sorry. I’ll forgive them if they just stop laughing at me and calling me names. Well, I forgive them anyway but it would make me happier if they stopped.

Bullies: Thanksgiving Prayer

When they are eating their Thanksgiving dinners, maybe you could just whisper in their ears that bullying makes you unhappy. That could make a really big difference because after all, you are God and you are very, very important at least to some people.

I’m not important and nobody cares if I die, at least that’s what they tell me. I know you understand how I feel because your son was bullied too.

So God, please help the bullies and their parents understand what it feels like. Maybe you could even tell them about your son Jesus and how much he suffered.

My mom has to work on Thanksgiving but that’s okay because she loves me just like you do. I’m used to being alone so don’t worry about me for now because it’s more important that you help the bullies understand that they are upsetting you too.

I love you God and I know you love me and that sure helps. Oh and I almost forgot to ask you if you will tell the kids who are watching to do something to help kids being bullied? That could make a big difference.

Thank you God.

Amen.

To everyone who follows us and cares about children who are the targets of bullies, please share this message this Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season.

Today is Veterans Day and it is a special day to remember and honor our service men and women. It is important to spend some time thinking about why we celebrate Veterans Day.

Originally, Veterans Day was called Armistice Day and it was first celebrated in 1938 to honor the soldiers that served in WW I. Later November 11th became the date for Armistice Day. That date was chosen because the war ended on November 11, 1938. In 1954, since the United States had been involved in two more wars (World War II and the Korean War) the holiday was renamed Veterans Day. The purpose was to honor the soldiers that fought in all three wars.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is different from Memorial Day because Memorial Day honors all the men and women that died serving the United States in a war. Veteran’s Day is a celebration for all of the soldiers who are still alive and who served in the armed forces at any time during wartime and peace time.

Do you know about the Young Marines Veterans Appreciation Week? Well, I’ll tell you. The Young Marines is a non-profit youth education and service program for girls and boys from age 8 through the 12th grade.

“The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on character building, leadership, and promotes a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. The Young Marines is the premier youth organization in its Drug Demand Reduction Efforts.”

Each year for one week, the Young Marines go across the country. They dedicate time to help our nation’s veterans and show appreciation to them. They do things like sending thank you cards to hospitalized veterans, cleaning up disabled veterans’ yards, visiting veterans in VA hospitals and organizing “get-togethers” to visit with local veterans. These include the members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the Coast Guard.

The Young Marines set a great example for all of us. Remember that each and every one of us should do something on Veterans Day and every day to show how much we appreciate the sacrifices that our service men and women make to protect us and our country.

Christmas Prayer

Dear God,

I sure hope you are listening because this is very important to me and to some other kids. This is my Christmas prayer to you.

Tomorrow is Christmas and I am very excited because that is your son Jesus’ birthday. I want to spend the day singing Christmas Carols and celebrating His birthday by being good. I always try to be a good boy even when it isn’t Christmas but sometimes it’s hard, especially when kids aren’t being nice.

Will you please teach bullies that being kind can make you feel good too? Will you help them understand that they can be just as happy if they don’t laugh at me or call me names?

I know I’m just a kid but I know about these things. Well, I’m sure you already know all about me. You know how sad I am. You know how alone I am. And you know how afraid I am a lot of the time.

Maybe you could visit the bullies on Christmas day and somehow teach them that they are celebrating the birthday of someone who was always kind to others.

I never tried to be mean to anyone because that just isn’t right. You and my mom taught me that. They don’t even have to say sorry, I’ll forgive them if they just stop laughing at me and calling me names. Well, I forgive them anyway but it would make me happier if they stopped.

When they are celebrating Christmas, maybe you could just whisper in their ears that bullying makes you very unhappy. That could make a really big difference because you are God and you are very, very important at least to some people.

I’m not important and nobody cares if I die, at least that’s what they tell me. I know you understand how I feel because your son was bullied too. Well, I don’t know if He was bullied when He was a kid but I sure know He was bullied before He died on the cross.

God, please help the bullies and their parents understand what it feels like. Maybe you could even remind them about your son and how much he suffered. Maybe you could show them how to talk to you by saying a Christmas prayer.

My mom has to work on Christmas but that’s okay because she loves me just like you do. I’m used to being alone so don’t worry about me for now because it’s more important that you help the bullies understand that they are upsetting you too.

When my mom gets home, she is going to be so happy because while she is at work, I am going to surprise her by cleaning our apartment and doing the laundry and everything. I love doing things that make people happy, especially my mom.

I love you God and I know you love me and that sure helps. Oh and I almost forgot to ask you if you will tell the kids who are watching to do something to help kids being bullied too?

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Beverly N Smith, Med Reading Consultant Specialist

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities.

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities. - Beverly N Smith, Med – Reading Consultant/Specialist